Growing Orchids: Easier than You Can Imagine!

There are a great many plants available to us today, all capable of giving our homes and offices their welcome air of freshness and life. Further, we never tire of them, regardless of how familiar they become; in fact, we seek out more of them, and want to add new ones to our home and work places.

Flowers, in particular -- cut or potted or growing in the garden -- have great appeal to human beings. Lots and lots of folks are undeniably drawn to the aristocratic orchid, among all the flowers in the world.

Orchids are called "conquerers of the light" by some. They catch us up with their beauty when we first encounter them, and they continue ever after to pull us to them. Nature has shown exceptional kindness to the orchids. Their flowers are ever elegant, ever bright. Their fragrant odor is generally described as sweet, yet most people do not find it cloying in the least. They have a thin texture, making them appear frail and delicate, yet they can last longer in a vase than many ornamental flowers. From a flower connoisseur's viewpoint, about the only thing they lack is abundant foliage. But this is not a serious deficiency: one can always fill the space around them with fern leaves for an attractive arrangement.

It was long believed that these marvelous flowers were exceptionally delicate and difficult to grow. This was mistaken. Surprisingly, perhaps, orchids are actually rather simple to cultivate, and quite a few hobbyists have been known to produce some startling plants. The "trick"--and of course it's not really a trick--is to learn as much as you can about orchid growing before you even acquire your first plant. By educating yourself, you are almost assured of success; skip the learning phase and you are doomed to failure.

Don't believe those who tell you that orchids require a lot of heat to grow well. That's a myth. This has been shown to be untrue! What has misled many people over the years is the fact that the orchid's native lands are mostly in the tropics. But many species, in their native lands, actually grow high up on cool mountainsides. It would be a mistake to subject these coolness-hardy plants to high temperatures -- if the heat didn't kill them, it would at least stunt their development.

Whether you consider yourself a green thumb or not, you can grow these loveliest of flowers. Imagine "gifting" a lover or friend with an orchid that you grew yourself. Envision winning prizes for breathtaking orchids that you cultivated yourself. Picture yourself going so far with your orchid growing hobby that it becomes a business, perhaps one big enough to provide you with a living. These things are all possible to you, even as an orchid newbie.

One of the best and most complete guides to modern orchid growing is undoubtedly Orchid Care Expert by Nigel Howard, available online. You can buy tons of books about orchids but Howard's guide is a complete course -- highly recommended for beginners and experienced growers alike. You might also want to visit the Orchid Secrets web site, which has a growing database of articles on all aspects of orchids.

Here's to a great orchid experience!